Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Football: 5 Biggest Vols Disappointments at Midseason

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones looks on during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee football started 5-0 before losing its last two going into this week’s bye. Here are the five biggest Volunteers disappointments so far in 2016.

After a 5-0 start, Tennessee football fans everywhere had plenty of positive things to point to about their beloved Vols. They were clearly mentally tough, they had developed serious depth in Butch Jones’s fourth year, and the realm of possibilities was wide open.

Two weeks later, those hopes seem a bit diminished.

The Vols are in their bye week coming off of a two-game losing streak to the Texas A&M Aggies and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The last one was a blowout loss that likely eliminated the Vols from College Football Playoff contention and knocked them into second place in the SEC East.

So despite the thrilling start to the season that included epic wins over the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, it’s not all roses for this football program right now.

And quite honestly, they could’ve used the bye two weeks earlier. Injuries have decimated the Vols, and it’s hard for them to overcome all of them.

However, even with the injuries, they have other issues we need to get to.

Although they still have a lot to play for, all of the things plaguing the program were put out on Front Street this past weekend, and it sent them into the bye on a very sour note.

Now they need a lot of help to accomplish the things they want to accomplish. And while many people foresaw some of the issues at the start of the season, some of them only began to surface midway through the year.

Here are the five biggest Tennessee football disappointments through the first half of the Vols’ 2016 season.

Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Evan Berry (29) runs the ball against Ohio Bobcats defensive lineman Andrew Payne (48) during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

5. Fewer Big Special Teams Plays

Going into the season, this was supposed to be a trademark for Tennessee football. Sure, Butch Jones had to replace special teams coach Mark Elder with Larry Scott. But he was the guy usually focusing heavily on special teams.

And he was the guy who would keep an elite special teams unit on the Vols this year.

So far, that hasn’t been the case. Sure, Alvin Kamara has a nice average on punt returns, as does Evan Berry on kickoff returns. Yes, they’ve made quite a few nice plays, in particular the Berry kickoff return to set up the Vols’ Hail Mary against the Georgia Bulldogs.

But they have a grand total of 0 return touchdowns so far this year. Meanwhile, they have three fumbles, two of which were lost, on returns. Cameron Sutton fumbled a punt return in the opener against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, and Berry fumbled a kickoff return against the Texas A&M Aggies.

One nearly cost the Vols, the other one did cost the Vols.

So there have been far too many problems on special teams this year that we did not expect to see. The only reason this disappointment is not higher on the list is due to the fact that there have been some nice special teams plays overall, and we would still consider the unit the strongest one of the team this year.

However, it needs to get better if Tennessee football is to have a solid stretch run coming off of the bye week.

Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) and offensive lineman Coleman Thomas (55) celebrate as they beat the Northwestern Wildcats in the 2016 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 45-6. Tennessee Volunteers Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4. Coleman Thomas’s Regression

Last year, Coleman Thomas generated a ton of excitement in Tennessee football fans. He moved over from outside blocker to center as Mack Crowder began to regress, and throughout the year he began to get better and better there.

As a result, going into this year, we all tabbed Thomas as one of the Vols’ top and most reliable offensive linemen. But we overlooked one big issue.

Thomas only began to develop last year as the schedule got easier down the stretch. Looking back on it now, he wasn’t ready to face elite units. And against a complex 3-4 defense to start the year and a veteran Virginia Tech defense, he collapsed. Thomas earned his status as the scapegoat for all the offensive line troubles.

It got to the point that Butch Jones and Mike DeBord had to move him to tackle against the Ohio Bobcats, where he played awful once again. So then they had to bench him against the Florida Gators.

After being forced back into the lineup due to injuries, his play did improve, however. And there’s an argument to make that he had injuries nobody was aware of early in the year, which contributed to his struggles. He could also redeem himself down the stretch and has already shown signs of doing that. That’s why he’s not higher on this list as an under-achieving veteran.

However, regardless of the reasons, Thomas was still a disappointment to start the year. His play stunted the development of the next guy on this list.

Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fans leaving during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

3. Drew Richmond’s Lack of Development

Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to call out a redshirt freshman without all of the facts. But when you are a five-star recruit who has been with the program for two years, it becomes disappointing if you don’t emerge into a superstar.

Richmond took a redshirt last year in the hopes of figuring out the system as a left tackle. According to all reports, he came on strong in December of that year and became a star.

Then we heard the hype about him all offseason, and come Fall, he was the star everybody was waiting to see on offense. When Chance Hall went down early, Butch Jones and Mike DeBord tasked Richmond with starting at left tackle.

He struggled out of the gate.

To be fair, Richmond went against a complex 3-4 in Appalachian State and then had to face a stacked and experienced Virginia Tech defense the very next week. But both units abused him in every way.

The guy looked like he still hadn’t figured things out, and the coaching staff had to move him to the bench. Amidst all the hype he brought to the 2015 Tennessee football recruiting class, that was a sickening move to watch.

After a slew of injuries on the offensive line, Richmond had to get back into the lineup. And once again, he got abused.

Again, Richmond did have a rough start given the opponents he faced. But his play was still an issue that needs to get better. Still, he’s certainly not as disappointing as another fellow five-star trenches player who was part of that class.

Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie (1) tackles Northwestern Wildcats running back Justin Jackson (21) during the first half in the 2016 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2. Kahlil McKenzie

You could call this one unfair too since he is now done for the season. But before even getting to that point, Kahlil McKenzie was a major disappointment for the Tennessee football defense this year.

After seeing minimal action in 2015 as a five-star freshman, McKenzie spent the offseason trimming down and preparing to play for Bob Shoop’s new defense. In the process, we all thought that he would have a breakout season similar to what John Henderson had in 2000. Yes, the expectations for him were that high.

Considering he’d have a ton of help with the Vols’ elite pass rushers in Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen, McKenzie should have had a field day in becoming a playmaker. But he never has been able to become a full-time starter on the line.

Throughout the year, McKenzie had to sit behind Kendal Vickers and Danny O’Brien, before O’Brien was dismissed. And although he now is done for the year, he could have made more of an impact when he played.

Tennessee football has struggled significantly at stopping the run. An elite talent like McKenzie should be able to control that. He should also be able to account for the Vols’ crucial injuries at linebacker.

But he failed on both fronts in his sophomore season. He now has to wait until his junior year to live up to his hype. And his under-achieving play is part of an overall under-achieving defense.

That leads to our final point here.

Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of the Tennessee Volunteers running through the T before the game against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

1. Bob Shoop

Let’s be clear on this. Bob Shoop was still a great hire to be Tennessee football’s new defensive coordinator. His in-game adjustments have been on point. And he is doing a great job of trying to compensate for all the unfortunate injuries to the Vols.

However, he has fallen drastically short of the hype he generated when Butch Jones brought him to Knoxville last winter.

As great as Shoop is at in-game adjustments, too often it comes far too late. Why does he allow two first-quarter touchdowns against the Virginia Tech Hokies? How could he give up 21 points in the first half to the Florida Gators with a backup quarterback?

And let’s not even get started on how much the defense has struggled over the past three weeks.

Shoop is overseeing one of the worst rush defenses in the country right now. Yes, that’s partially due to injuries. But given the money he is making, he could still do more about it.

Meanwhile, his situational coaching has been questionable.

Against the Georgia Bulldogs, Butch Jones put the game in his hands to win. Yet he called a terrible play with 19 seconds left that allowed Jacob Eason to throw a 43-yard touchdown pass. A Hail Mary by Joshua Dobbs bailed him out after that.

A week later, his defense allowed far too many big plays against the Texas A&M Aggies. Then they had no answer for stopping Jalen Hurts last week.

Overall, Shoop is a great coordinator. But considering his hype, fans expected him to work miracles. He has fallen drastically short of doing that. And as a result, he is the biggest disappointment for Tennessee football so far.